Beagle

Appearance: The Beagle is a small to medium-sized dog with a range of colours, mostly white, with large black spots and light brown shading. They have a fairly long, slightly domed skull. Their ears are long, set moderately low, turning towards the cheeks slightly and rounded at the tips. Beagles have large eyes, mostly hazel or brown, with a mild hound-like pleading look. This breed has a typical, square-cut and defined muzzle with a black gumdrop nose. They have a thick, short neck rising light from the shoulders and a deep, but disproportionately wide chest. Their legs are strong and muscular. Beagles a have medium-length, smooth, hard coat.

Temperament: Beagles are intelligent but temporarily obedient due to their independent nature, which is common among hounds. This can make them hard to train as they get easily distracted by smells around them. Their instinct tells them to follow their nose, no matter where you’d rather have them go. Beagles are often described as merry and are considered amiable and, typically, neither aggressive nor timid. This breed can be standoffish with strangers, but they generally get along well with other dogs.

Skills: As a member of the hound group, the Beagle has one of the best developed sense of smell and tracking instincts, especially when it comes to hare. Other than rabbit trailing, this dog is used for detection of illegal goods, and beagle field trials. This makes them the ideal detection dogs. They make poor guards though, as they are easily won over and are mostly friendly with people.

Behaviour Towards Other Animals and Children: Beagles bond easily with everyone in the family, especially children. They are used to being a part of a pack, so they enjoy company and don’t like to be left alone. Another dog (or even a cat) will help meet their companionship needs as they get along well with other pets.
Health

Common Health Problems: Beagles may be prone to epilepsy. Hypothyroidism and a number of types of dwarfism are also possible. Hip dysplasia is also considered a problem in Beagles. They may develop immune mediated polygenic arthritis and neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration. Not all Beagles will get any or all of these diseases but it’s important to be aware of them if you’re considering this breed.